Keith holds tightly to the boat, it's been awhile since Lance left, but Keith trusts him. He'll come back.

A moment later Keith can see someone walking through the fog back towards him and he breathes a sigh of relief and steps forward, calling out, "I was starting to think you ran off with the crown and left me."

Suddenly the figure divides into two, and Keith backs up, startled. They step from the fog and Keith finds himself looking up at the two men that had chased them earlier. Their smiles are sharp, eyes glowing yellow in the darkness, "He did."

"What?" Keith can't believe it, even with the facts in front of him, "No! He wouldn't." "Look for yourself." Sendak gestures to the water.

"Lance?" Keith carefully steps around them and looks out. He can see a boat there, and at the helm is Lance. Keith can see the crown in his hand even from here. "Lance!"

"Fair trade." Sendak huffs, reaching out and touching Keith's braid, "A crown for the boy with the magic hair."

Keith turns around to look at them, his heart racing.

"How much do you think someone would pay?" Haxus smirks, stepping in closer to Keith and pulling out a large sack, "To stay young and healthy forever?"

"No, please! No!" Keith turns and runs. He's smaller than they are, but he doesn't know where he's going. Can he possibly get away? "No!"

As he's running his braided hair gets caught in a fallen tree and he screams, pulling on it to get free, but it won't budge.

Suddenly there's the sound of a scuffle, and what sounds like two bodies hitting the ground.

"Keith?!"

"Father?" Keith whispers, and stops struggling. He moves back towards the piece of shore line he ran from, and now that he's moving back, his hair comes free easily.

Once he rounds the turn, Keith can see his father, standing over the two other men, who are on the ground unconscious. His father is holding a branch and looks shocked. When he sees Keith, he calls out to him, dropping the branch, "Keith! My son!"

Keith runs toward his father, "Father!"

They collide, and Keith holds onto Zarkon tightly, "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

Keith shakes his head, then pulls back a little, "Father, how did you find me?"

"I was so worried about you," Zarkon is gently touching Keith's hair, pulling the flowers from the braid, "So I followed you, and I saw them attack you! And- lets go, lets go, before they wake up!"

Zarkon turns and runs into the forest, and Keith is about to follow, but he can't stop himself from looking back out at the water. His eyes find the boat that Lance is on. Lance... How could he just leave?

Keith presses a hand against his chest, it feels like something inside him is shattering. He can feel the tears gathering in his eyes. Keith turns and looks at his father. Zarkon looks like he's sad for him, and when he holds out his arms, Keith runs to him. "You were right, father. You were right about everything."

"I know, son. I know." Zarkon pats Keith's hair softly.

A boat slams against the side of the stone wall and the guards lean over from their post to look down at it. One of the gasps, "Look! The crown!"

Lance wakes up slowly, his head feels groggy and he can taste blood in his mouth. He swipes his tongue across his teeth, glad that they're all still there. Then, everything crashes back down on him, "Keith."

He gasps, struggling against the rope that's holding him to the helm of the ship, "Keith!"

The guards rush the ship, and Lance yells to them, struggling to get free, "No, no! Wait! You don't understand!"

Coran, waiting on a dock a little further down, hears the commotion and looks over to see them dragging Lance away. Lance is struggling against them, trying to get back to the boat, or trying to get to the water. When he screams out, he sounds terrified, "Keith!"

Coran watches them go then stares out at the hazy shore line in the distance, worried for his friend.

Lance paces his cell, like he has done all night. He runs his hands through his hair and balls them into fists. He can't sit still, all he can do is think about Keith. What has happened to him? What did those monsters do to him? Keith is too pure, too good to be around people like that. Lance should have protected him!

Lance grips the bars on the window of his cell and grits his teeth. He has to find a way out of here, he has to do something.

The door opens, and Lance turns around to see the commander and two other soldiers waiting for him, "Lets get this over with, Sharpshooter."

"Where are we going?" Lance questions, because he can make a plan, he can get away, he can find Keith.

The commanders face hardens.

Lance reaches up and presses his fingers against his neck, realization causing panic in his mind, "Oh."

He won't be able to get free, he won't be able to save Keith, because today? Today he's going to die.

"There." Zarkon says softly, plucking the last of the flowers from Keith's hair, "Just like it never happened."

Keith stares down at his hands, he can't bring himself to respond.

Zarkon stands and heads toward the doorway, "Now, wash up for dinner. I'm making hazelnut soup."

It's not his favorite, but his father thinks it is and that should be a comfort, but nothing can comfort Keith right now. He bites hard on the inside of his cheek and doesn't look up.

Zarkon sighs, "I really did try, Keith. I tried to warn you what was out there! The world is dark, and selfish, and cruel. If it finds even the slightest ray of sunshine, it destroys it."

After his father closes the curtains that seal off his room and walks away, Keith slowly opens his hands. He gently unfolds the little flag Lance had bought him yesterday. Keith stares down at it, his chest tight.

Keith smiles faintly at Pidge then looks back at the cloth in his hands. He sighs and falls back onto his bed, bringing the small piece of fabric up and clutching it to his chest. Keith looks up at his ceiling, staring at all the paintings there. He blinks suddenly, is that-

Keith holds up the little piece of fabric and stares at the sun pattern on it, then he looks back up at the ceiling, then back at the fabric. Keith repeats this motion a few more times before slowly propping himself up with one arm to look more closely at the ceiling.

As he stares at the paintings there, suddenly he sees it, in one of his drawings, the sun pattern is there. A pattern he didn't even know existed until yesterday, but it's there. Keith's eyes widen and he glances around at the other paintings. More and more suns are hidden inside of his art, hundreds of them in this room alone.

Keith stands up, staring around his room in shock, in wonder. Then, suddenly, it comes crashing back to him.

Keith remembers seeing a baby mobile with the sun on it, bright and golden, hanging above him in a crib. He remembers looking over and seeing two hazy figures, one with long white hair, the other with short black hair and a white streak, both smiling, their crowns shining in the light...

Keith remembers the mosaic, exactly how the King and Queen had looked. He remembers the baby, the baby that could have been...

Keith remembers placing the crown on his head, he remembers how right it felt, how it seemed like it was his...

Keith gasps and falls backwards against his desk, barely catching himself before he hits the floor.

He brings a hand up to touch his forehead. His mind is spinning, but he's sure, he's sure.